Protesters organised a peaceful vigil to draw attention to the suffering of Palestinian children. 

An estimated 200 people attended a vigil in Milton Keynes on Wednesday, December 20, in support of Palestinian civilians following Israeli air strikes.

Milton Keynes Peace and Justice Network had organised the vigil to draw attention to the suffering of children in the conflict. 

Around 8,000 children have been killed since October 7, Palestinian health authorities estimated. 

The crowds gathered to hold a candlelit vigil outside The Church of Christ the Cornerstone beside a life size nativity scene depicting baby Jesus lying amongst rubble, sing ‘ceasefire carols’ and listen to poetry by a Palestinian poet who was killed in the bombardment.

One of the speakers was Revd Gill Barrow-Jones, a Church of England vicar in Wolverton.

He said: “In the Christmas story we hear angels sing of the promise of peace. The song that rang out from the Bethlehem fields that first Christmas, is echoed by Christians around the world today who are praying for a lasting peace for the people of both Israel and Palestine.”

Kevin Vickers from the Milton Keynes Peace and Justice Network said people of “all ages and ethnicities” from the city attended.

“At this time of year when we come together to remember the birth of a baby in Palestine the ‘nativity in the rubble’ was a poignant symbol of what is happening today in that place,” he said.

The current crisis between Israel and Palestine escalated on October 7 when Hamas attacked in Israel, leading to the Israeli army launching air strikes across the Gaza strip.

Gaza, a strip of land home to 2.3 million Palestinians, has been unlawfully blockaded by Israel for the past 16 years, the UN said.

The World Health Organisation said 93 percent of people living in Gaza are facing “crisis levels of hunger” and risk of disease after destruction from air strikes has reduced many areas and vital infrastructure into rubble.